Numerical approximation of bending dominated shells using P.S.R.I. Schemes

The aim of this paper is to present the construction of a family of locking-free finite elements for Naghdi shell problems. The finite elements introduced are obtained using a partial selective reduced integration technique in the treatment of both the shear and membrane energy of the shell. Some numerical results will be presented in order to show both the performances of the proposed finite elements in the solution of shell problems and their robustness with respect to the locking phenomenon.